I have been a photographer for over a decade now. I have done portraits, weddings, events, rodeos, corporate sessions, university photography, newborns, senior pictures, family reunions, and travel photography. I have tried everything looking for my niche and some things I have loved and others I have hated.

This throw back Friday I want to focus on one of my first paid portraits vs some of my newer work. The changes are not just in my style and abilities but stem from my change and growth in gear and equipment.

I was right out of high school when I took this image of my sisters friend for her senior portraits in 2011. My camera set up at the time was an Olympus Evolt 520 with a standard kit lens 14-55 mm f5.6. Nothing special. The camera was 10 megapixels and the lens plastic.

I was just starting and learning. At the time photography was fun but I had no ambitions for be a professional let alone make it a business and my life. Ah but things change.

In college the same year I was photographing my roommates who were aspiring to be actors. One of my headshots for them founds its way to a casting director and my one roommate landed a screen time extra roll in the film Perks of Being a Wallflower. It was exciting and it was the first time I realized I could do more, aspire to more with my photography, especially when paired with the advanced photography course I was taking the professors excitement over my natural unedited abilities.

I was hooked on that feeling of accomplishment and so began my journey. So began my business.

I have done it all and over the years my skills have improved exponentially. I have loved being apart of so many moments and so much fun, passion, and drive.

When I was starting out I fancied myself a portrait photographer and in many ways I am but for the most part I am photojournalically inclined. My equipment is better, my skills sharper, and I have the ability to shoot in any and all conditions.

My final image share is from one of my first couple sessions. I was using my traveling studio and lighting set up, after years of work I was comfortable with using lighting just as I am comfortable using natural light. I took years to learn that lighting is tricky and there is nothing wrong with using additional lights.

The two images are literally 10 years apart and yet both are strong in my opinion. I can see my growth but I see it not in style, not lighting, not in location, but in image quality and it come down to seeing the change in the equipment I used. I like that my portrait work has remain in a way consistent but a small part of me wishes it showed my growth the same way my rodeo photography does— you can see this previous post in a July blog.

I have a natural gift for photographing people and therefore I didn’t struggle to learn and get better at this area the same way I did in others. Yet for the discerning eye you can see the growth.